Apparatus for supporting a worker on an upper chord of a roof truss

ABSTRACT

An apparatus is provided for supporting a worker on an upper chord of a roof truss. The apparatus includes a saddle member which is positioned over an installed upper chord of a roof truss and secured thereto to prevent inadvertent movement of the apparatus with respect to the upper chord upon which it is mounted. The apparatus includes a pair of hanger assemblies which are pivotally secured to the saddle member and which extend downwardly therefrom for supporting a pair of footrests thereon. In use, the worker straddles the saddle member and the chord upon which it is mounted with his/her feet resting on the footrests. The footrests may be adjusted to compensate for varying roof pitches.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an apparatus for supporting a worker on anupper chord of a roof truss during the construction of a roof and moreparticularly to an adjustable apparatus for supporting a worker on anupper chord of a roof truss to compensate for different roof pitches.

2. Description of the Related Art

During the construction of a roof which is constructed of a plurality ofroof trusses, a worker must attempt to support himself on a previouslyinstalled roof truss to position an adjacent roof truss and to nail thesame in place at the proper spacing utilizing truss spacers or the like.Previous attempts have been made to provide a portable temporary supportfor workers installing roof trusses as for example, the US Publication2008/0022628. Although the support disclosed in the publishedapplication does enable a worker to straddle the previously installedroof truss to enable an adjoining roof truss to be installed, the workermust rest his/her lower legs in the gutter or trough members which willbecome extremely tiring on the worker's legs and back. Another devicefor installing or erecting roof trusses is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,820,722 wherein a pair of supporting devices are utilized. The devicesdisclosed in the '722 patent do not enable the worker to straddle a rooftruss and requires that the worker lean over the previously installedroof truss to reach the adjacent roof truss being installed.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that there is a definite need toprovide an apparatus or device for supporting a worker on an upper chordof a roof truss which is adjustable and which is safe and convenient touse.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects oressential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summaryis not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of theclaimed subject matter.

An apparatus is disclosed for supporting a worker on an upper chord of aroof truss. The apparatus includes an elongated, channel-shaped saddlemember, having upper and lower ends, for embracing the upper chord withthe saddle member including a top wall and spaced-apart side wallsextending downwardly therefrom. The apparatus also includes an upperhanger assembly which is pivotally secured, about a horizontal axis tothe saddle member below the upper end thereof. The apparatus alsoincludes a lower hanger assembly having upper and lower ends with theupper end of the lower hanger assembly being pivotally secured, about ahorizontal axis, to the saddle member adjacent the lower end of thesaddle member. The lower ends of the upper and lower hanger assembliesare positioned below the upper chord.

A first footrest is secured to the upper and lower hanger assemblies andextends therebetween below the chord at one side thereof. A secondfootrest is secured to the upper and lower hanger assemblies and extendstherebetween below the upper chord at the other side thereof. The firstand second foot rests, by being positioned on opposite sides of theupper chord enable the worker to straddle the saddle member and theupper chord. The saddle member is selectively secured to the upper chordto prevent the movement of the saddle member with respect to the upperchord.

In the preferred embodiment, the footrests are adjustably secured to theupper hanger assembly to accommodate different roof pitches.

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide animproved apparatus or device for supporting a worker on an upper chordof a roof truss during the erection of a roof comprised of roof trusses.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the typedescribed which is adjustable to accommodate different roof pitches.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the typedescribed which includes means for maintaining the apparatus in positionrelative to the upper chord.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus forsupporting a worker on an upper chord of a roof truss wherein the workerstraddles the roof truss.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus forsupporting a worker on an upper chord of a roof truss which iscomfortable and safe to use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention aredescribed with reference to the following figures, wherein likereference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various viewsunless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the worker support or worker supportapparatus of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the worker support of FIG. 1 mounted onthe upper chord of the roof truss.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view illustrating the adjustability of thefoot rests to compensate for various pitches;

FIG. 4 is a partial exploded perspective view of means for maintainingthe worker support on an upper chord of a roof truss;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view illustrating the chord gripping meansmoving into engagement with the upper chord of a roof truss;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 except that the chord gripping meanshave been forced into the upper chord of the roof truss; and

FIG. 7 illustrates the manner in which a worker uses two of theapparatuses of this invention during the erection of a roof utilizingroof trusses.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Embodiments are described more fully below with reference to theaccompanying figures, which form a part hereof and show, by way ofillustration, specific exemplary embodiments. These embodiments aredisclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art topractice the invention. However, embodiments may be implemented in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as being limited to theembodiments set forth herein. The following detailed description is,therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense in that the scope of thepresent invention is defined only by the appended claims.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 refers to the worker support or workersupport apparatus of this invention which is designed to be used with anupper chord 12 of a roof truss 14 during erection of a roof utilizingroof trusses. Support 10 includes an elongated channel-shaped saddlemember 16 which is preferably comprised of a suitable metal materialsuch as steel, or the like. Saddle member 16 includes a top wall 18 andside walls 20 and 22 extending downwardly therefrom. For purposes ofdescription, saddle member 16 will be described as having an upper end24 and a lower end 26.

The numeral 28 refers to a lower hanger assembly 28 which is comprisedof a tube or collar 30 welded or otherwise secured to the top wall 18 ofsaddle member 16 adjacent the lower end thereof and which has a bolt 32received therein. The upper ends of angular members 34 and 36 arepivotally secured to the bolt 32 at the ends of tube 30 respectively. Asseen in the drawings, the lower ends of the angular members 34 and 36are located below the upper chord 12. As also seen in the drawings, thehanger members 34 and 36 are positioned outwardly of the side walls ofthe saddle member 16 so as to be positioned on opposite sides of theupper chord 12.

The numeral 38 refers to an upper hanger assembly which includes acollar or tube 40 which is welded or otherwise secured to the top wall18 of saddle member 16 at a location above the lower hanger assembly 28.The upper ends of hanger members 42 and 44 are pivotally secured to thecollar 40 by means of the bolt 46 extending therethrough. The lower endsof hanger members 42 and 44 are provided with a plurality of verticallyspaced openings 48 and 50 formed therein respectively to provide anadjustment for roofs of various pitches as will be describedhereinafter. A plurality of cups retainers 52 or storage units aresecured to the hanger members 42 and 44 to provide for the convenientstorage of various tools which are employed by the worker.

The numeral 54 refers to a footrest including a top surface 56 and aninner wall 58 which extends downwardly therefrom. Preferably, the outerside of footrest 54 includes a flange or outer wall 60. One end of innerwall 58 is secured to hanger member 34 by a pair of bolts 62 and 64. Theother end of inner wall 58 has a bolt 66 extending therethrough andthrough one of the openings 48 in hanger member 42 of upper hangerassembly 38. The bolt 66 may be placed in various of the openings 48 toaccommodate for various roof pitches so that the top surface 56 offootrest 54 remains substantially horizontal regardless of the roofpitch.

A footrest 68 including an upper surface 70 is similarly secured to thehanger members 36 and 44 as was just described with respect to footrest54. The top wall 18 of saddle member 16 is provided with a pair ofspaced-apart keyhole slots 71 and 72 formed therein adapted to receivenails therein to selectively removably attach the saddle member 16 tothe upper chord 12 as will be described in more detail hereinafter.

A pair of spaced-apart ears 74 and 76 are secured to sides 20 and 22 ofsaddle member 16 by any convenient means such as welding or the like andhave a bolt 78 extending therebetween as seen in FIG. 2. Collar 80 ispositioned between the ears 74 and 76 and rotatably receives a bolt 78extending therethrough. Actuator rod or handle 82 has its lower endwelded or otherwise secured to collar 80 and extends upwardly asillustrated in the drawings. The upper end of handle 82 has a forwardlyextending upper end portion 84.

Plate 86 is welded to the top wall 18 of saddle member 16 adjacent theupper end thereof and has a vertically disposed slot 88 formed therein.Plate 86 also has openings 90, 92 and 94 formed therein. As seen in FIG.4, the sidewalls 20 and 22 of saddle member 16 have elongated slots 96and 98 formed therein respectively. Slot 96 is positioned betweenlaterally extending plates 100 and 102 while slot 98 is positionedbetween plates 104 and 106.

The numeral 108 refers to a chord gripper having an opening 110 in onelend thereof, a slot 112 formed therein the intermediate ends thereofand an arcuate slot 114. Gripper 108 also includes a tooth portion 116.The numeral 118 refers to a second chord gripper having an opening 119at one end thereof, a slot 120 intermediate the ends thereof and anarcuate slot 122, as best seen in FIG. 4. Gripper 118 also includes atooth portion 124.

Bolt 126 extends through arcuate slot 114 of gripper 108, throughopening 119 of gripper 118 and through opening 94 in plate 86. Nut 128secures the bolt 126 in position. Bolt 130 extends through arcuate slot122 of gripper 118, through opening 110 in gripper 108 and throughopening 90 in plate 86. Nut 132 secures 130 in place. The end portion 84of handle 82 extends through slot 112 in gripper 108, through slot 120in gripper 118 and through slot 88 in plate 86.

The numeral 134 refers to a locking plate having an opening 136 at itsupper end and an arcuate recess portion 138 formed in its lower end.Plate 134 is positioned adjacent the upper end of plate 86 and bolt 140extends through opening 136 in plate 134 and through opening 92 in plate86 and which is held in place by nut 142.

When the end portion 84 of handle 82 is in its upper position asillustrated in FIG. 5, the teeth 116 and 124 of grippers 108 and 118 arenot in engagement with the upper chord 12 as will be described in moredetail hereinafter. When the end portion 84 of handle 82 is in its lowerposition as illustrated in FIG. 6, the grippers 108 and 118 have beenpivoted from the position of FIG. 5 to the position of FIG. 6 so thatthe teeth 116 and 124 have been driven into or forced into the upperchord 12 to securely maintain the saddle member 16 in position on theupper chord. When the plate 134 is in the locked position of FIG. 6, therecessed portion 138 thereof engages the end portion 84 of handle 82 tolock the teeth in their penetrating or piercing position of FIG. 6. Whenthe plate 134 is in the position of FIG. 5, the handle 82 is not in itslocked position.

The method of using the apparatus of this invention will now bedescribed. Normally, the end roof truss 14 on a roof being erected willbe installed in conventional fashion. After the end roof truss has beenerected, the apparatus 10 will be mounted on the chord 12 of thaterected roof truss. Prior to mounting the apparatus 10 on the chord 12,the locking plate 134 will be moved to its unlocked position so that thehandle 82 may be moved to its uppermost position so that the hooks 116and 124 do not protrude objectionably into the interior of the saddlemember 16. The saddle member 16 is then positioned on the end of thetruss so that the upper chord 12 is received within the saddle member16. If not previously done so, a pair of nails will be driven into theupper end of the chord 12 so that the heads thereof may be received inthe keyhole slots 71 and 72 with the saddle member 16 then being movedslightly downwardly so that the shanks of the nails are received withinthe narrow portion of the slots 71 and 72. The handle 82 will then bemoved downwardly from its uppermost position to its lower lockedposition which causes the grippers 108 and 118 to be pivotally moved sothat the teeth 116 and 124 thereof will pierce or penetrate the sides ofthe chord 12. The locking plate 134 is then pivotally moved to itslocking position so that the recess 138 receives the end portion 84 ofthe handle 82 to lock the handle 82 in its lowermost position.

The worker will then straddle the saddle member 16 and place his/herfeet on the footrests 54 and 68 respectively. The footrests 54 and 68will have been previously adjusted with respect to the upper hangerassembly 38 so that the footrests will be in a generally horizontallydisposed position. The next adjacent roof truss will then be moved intothe roof area and the worker, while straddling the saddle member 16,will guide the roof truss into position adjacent to the roof truss whichthe worker is straddling. When the roof truss is in position, the workerwill nail truss spacers to the previously installed truss and the trussjust being installed. When the roof truss has been nailed into place,the worker will take another or a second apparatus 10 and place the sameonto the most recently installed roof truss and secure it into position.The worker will then step from the apparatus 10 which he/she used toinstall the next truss and step onto the footrests of the secondapparatus 10. The worker will then guide the next roof truss intoposition, while standing on the second apparatus 10 and nail that intoplace. When the next roof truss has been nailed into place, the workerwill then remove the first apparatus 10 from its associated upper chordand place the same onto the newly installed roof truss. The firstapparatus 10 is released from its associated chord 12 by pivoting thelocking plate 134 out of its locking position so that the handle 82 maybe raised which will cause the grippers 108 and 118 to disengage fromthe chord 12. The apparatus will then be moved slidably upwardly withrespect to the chord 12 so that the heads of the nails in the slots 71and 72 will register with the enlarged portions thereof so that thesaddle 16 may be raised and disengaged from the chord 12. The process isrepeated until all of the roof trusses are erected.

Thus it can be seen that a novel apparatus has been provided forsupporting a working on an upper chord of a roof truss with theapparatus being adjusted to compensate for roof trusses of differentpitches. The apparatus of this invention is convenient and safe to useprimarily due to the fact that the worker is straddling the upper chordon which the apparatus 10 is mounted. Thus it can be seen that theinvention accomplishes all of its stated objectives.

Although the invention has been described in language that is specificto certain structures and methodological steps, it is to be understoodthat the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarilylimited to the specific structures and/or steps described. Rather, thespecific aspects and steps are described as forms of implementing theclaimed invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can bepracticed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention,the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.

1. An apparatus for supporting a worker on an upper chord, having firstand second sides, of a roof truss, comprising: an elongated,channel-shaped saddle member having upper and lower ends, for embracingthe upper chord with the saddle member including a top wall andspaced-apart side walls extending downwardly therefrom; an upper hangerassembly having upper and lower ends; said upper end of said upperhanger assembly being pivotally secured, about a horizontal axis, tosaid saddle member below said upper end of said saddle member; saidlower end of said upper hanger assembly being positioned below the upperchord; a lower hanger assembly having upper and lower ends; said upperend of said lower hanger assembly being pivotally secured, about ahorizontal axis, to said saddle member adjacent said lower end of saidsaddle member; said lower end of said lower hanger assembly beingpositioned below the upper chord; a first footrest secured to said upperand lower hanger assemblies and extending therebetween below the upperchord at the first ene side thereof; a second footrest secured to saidupper and lower hanger assemblies and extending therebetween below theupper chord at the second ether side thereof; said first and secondfootrests being positioned on opposite sides of the upper chord wherebya worker may place the worker's feet thereon to straddle said saddlemember and the upper chord; said saddle member being selectively securedto the upper chord to prevent movement of said saddle member withrespect to the upper chord.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein saidsaddle member is selectively secured to the upper chord againstlongitudinal movement of said saddle member with respect to the upperchord and is selectively secured to the upper chord against upwardmovement of said saddle member with respect to the upper chord.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said footrests are adjustably verticallysecured to one of said upper and lower hanger assemblies.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said footrests are adjustably verticallysecured to said upper hanger assembly.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1further including storage containers which are secured to said upperhanger assembly.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said top wall ofsaid saddle member has at least one keyhole slot formed therein wherebya nail may be extended therethrough into the upper chord.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein a pair of chord gripper members arepivotally secured to said saddle member at said upper end of said saddlemember for selective gripping engagement with opposite sides of theupper chord.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said chord grippermembers are pivotally movable between gripping and non-grippingpositions.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein a pivotal rod operativelyengages said chord gripper members to move said chord gripper membersbetween their said gripping and non-gripping positions.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 9 further including a locking mechanism whichselectively locks said pivotal rod in a position whereby said chordgripper members are locked in their said gripping positions.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 7 wherein each of said chord gripper members includea pointed portion which pierces into the first and second sides of theupper chord.